Overall Member Rating

Wonderful First Cruise for Anniversary

My husband and I went on our first cruise for our first anniversary from May 16-21 on Enchantment of the Seas. We had wonderful time and would recommend this cruise and boat.

Our Room

We had room 7654 which was towards the back (aft) of the boat. We really enjoyed having a balcony and sat outside every day enjoying the view. It was so nice to enjoy breakfast outside as we came into the port. The views during a lightning storm were gorgeous as well. There was plenty of storage space, in fact I was really surprised with how big the room was after reading many reviews. Our bed was very comfy and didn't feel at all like two twins pushed together - this was something else I had worried about for no reason. The bathroom was decent size and had a nice More
medicine cabinet that held all of our stuff - and I always have alot of toiletries. The only thing I didn't like was the shower curtain which had a tendency to try to cling to you when showering!

Our stateroom attendant was great and kept our room very tidy. We were on a crazy schedule - up early some days (when arriving in port) and sleeping in late others. He would discreetly come in while we were out and make up the room and left us some cool towel animals. He also always supplied us with fresh ice and towels.

Room Service

We had room service three times - once late at night (well worth the $3.95 surcharge), once for breakfast and once in the afternoon. It arrived pretty fast late at night and was very tasty. It took a bit longer (peak time) during the afternoon but we both thought the turkey sandwiches were tasty. Breakfast arrived early and they called to alert us that they were coming. It was hot and very good - eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, juice and assorted pastries.

Ship

I thought the ship was very nice, clean and the layout was easy to navigate. We saw two shows while we were on board - the magic show and the "Love and Marriage" game show. The magic show was really good - Vegas-style and not cheesy at all. The game show was hilarious and Mark (the cruise director although I think he's leaving for another cruise line) was a really good host.

The pools were nice but I didn't like the salt water. I just prefer regular chlorine water I guess. We only used the adult's pool, which was nice and not too crowded. There was no problem finding chairs to lay out.

The gym was big and had lots of cardiac equipment. I signed up for a spinning class but it was canceled due to the instructor being sick. They notified those who had signed up by calling their staterooms.

The food was really good. We enjoyed the buffet - the selection was repeated for the most part throughout our stay but there were alot of choices. Windjammer Buffet - Breakfast had the normal buffet selections like eggs, cereal, meat, fruit, etc. There were made to order omelets too. We liked lunch the best - fresh bread for sandwiches, salad fixing, fruit, etc. Dinner was much of the same, I think the hot foods change each day though. Everything was pretty tasty.

We ate in the main dining room (My Fair Lady) twice. The food was really good and of higher quality than the buffet. We were disappointed to be seated at a table of 8 (we were hoping to have our own table but knew this was unlikely since this is how cruises do the dining program) but our tablemates were friendly. Everyone was about 20 years older than us so we just thought we were mismatched but we had some interesting conversations. The service was pretty good the first night but seemed to take awhile the second night we dined there. Our waiter was very friendly. I had chicken one night and my husband had steak, both were really good. I tried the parmesan crusted turkey the next time and it was my favorite meal of the whole trip!

We also ate at Chopps Grille for our anniversary dinner. It wasn't crowded at all and we had a nice table for two. It was really pretty as you could see the ocean in the floor length windows. Service was fast and our waiter and assistant waiter were very nice. The steak was pretty good - I'm normally a chicken person but figured I'd try the steak. The desserts were excellent and it was a really nice meal.

Embaration and Disembarkation

This was our first time on a ship so we weren't sure what to expect when arriving. It took about an hour and a half which I think is longer than normal - apparently immigration stopped the embarkation because they found something missing in the prior cruise's paperwork. Wasn't a big deal and the people at the port were pretty good about keeping the crowd updated. Our room was ready at 1:30 and I happened to spot our luggage by the elevators and asked to take it so we had everything pretty early. We brought on a case of water and pop and had no problem.

Disembarking was another new experience but went very smoothly. We had a late flight so I asked at the guest services desk for a later time to leave the boat. They gave us new luggage tags and we got off the ship around 10:30 or so. Our flight wasn't until 3:25 and we made it to the airport (took a taxi) and had around 4 hours to kill. So I'd definitely schedule an earlier flight next time.

We enjoyed ourselves and this won't be our last cruise! If anyone has any questions please email me at chrissy325@hotmail.com.

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Cabin review: BAL7654

Port and Shore Excursions

We had to tender for this port, which took awhile. We waited with everyone else and eventually made it to the dock. We took the Bike tour excursion through Royal Caribbean. It was fun but not strenuous if you're looking for a decent bike ride. I'd say we only went a few miles at the most. First stop was at the beach - beautiful. Second was at the Turtle Farm. It was very interesting but very hot and there was no shade so we were kind of happy when it was over. Next was the Rum Cake "Factory" which is really just a store where you can buy duty-free liquor, rum cakes and souvenirs. Last stop was Hell, which is a dead coral reef and post office. It was a nice way to see the island, I just wished there had been more biking.

We ate lunch on the boat and came back to the island to check out a beach. We ended up taking "Kelly's Bus" for a few dollars each and he dropped us off at the Reef Grill. The water was so pretty and we had about an hour to enjoy the beach and have a drink before heading back to the boat. We just wished we had more time here - we were only in port from 7-4.